Sword & Spear - A Sushang Fanfic

5: Under the Golden Willow Leaves - Sushang's side

Art by mint-tan: https://twitter.com/mintificial

As a child, Sushang learnt of a certain type of tree native to the Xianzhou's homeworld. It was a willow that was used to tell the time when the Xianzhou first left for the stars, as it had almost an internal clock of sorts, where its leaves would always turn golden for seven days a year, which quickly became called among the Xianzhou as 'Golden Willow Week', not just because of how the golden willows would turn golden, but also because of how many holidays always aligned with all seven days. On the Yaoqing, she heard stories of the Golden Willow Woods on the Luofu and how pretty it looked from friends and family who had returned from the Luofu for various tasks, saying how it would make a great spot for couples.

Now that she was deployed to the Luofu for training, this could be her only chance to witness these woods for herself.

A week before Golden Willow Week began, Sushang made her way to her partner's bunk. Poking her head in, she saw him sitting on his bed, seemingly worried about something. He started being this way after they had first gone to the Sleepless Earl together, where she had her first taste of Immortal's Delight, and her partner had a tasteless tea. She always asked him about it, but since he refused to tell her all the details, she considered perhaps being pushy would not be a good idea.

"Hey," She greeted as waved to grab his attention from the door. Her partner noticed her and smiled as he made his way across the room. When he had come closer and gestured with his eyes that he was listening, she continued. A small wave of nervousness washed over her as she felt bad about making him go along with her whims the last few weeks and she began to worry if he had enough of her dragging him around. She twiddled her thumbs as she made her request.

"So Golden Willow Week's coming up..." Her voice trailed off, the nervousness once more beginning to build up like a rock in her stomach. She took a deep breath. "I want to go see the Golden Willow Woods. Would you like to come with me? I- I mean, I do need a guide to take me around the Luofu." Her partner seemed to be thinking for quite a while, but it seemed he had made up his mind.

"Sure, let's go. It's a beautiful place during that week, after all." He said. She smiled excitedly, seeing her opportunity to see the Golden Willow Woods with her own eyes had presented itself. Her partner, seeing how happy she got, smiled gently. Taking a look at their schedules, they found out that the next time their free times lined up fell within the Golden Willow Week, and the two made plans to meet up at lunchtime at the Cloudfair Starskiff Jetty.

The day arrived as the two headed for the Viridescent Plains, a delve that was mainly used for the growth of agriculture and raising of livestock due to the comfortable environment of the delve. The conditions of the delve meant that the delve was also perfect for sustaining the growth of the Golden Willow Woods. The delve was usually devoid of people except for the farmers, herders and some others involved in the transportation of goods, but during this season, quite a lot of people would come to the Golden Willow Woods, sit under its shade and spend the whole day idling away.

After lunch, the two made their way to the main attraction of the day. From the jetty, one could probably spot a clump of golden-yellow in the distance, but when Sushang and her partner arrived at the place, the view was more spectacular than they had expected.

A singular rock path that they were on led to the Golden Willow Woods, where it split into multiple paths that led deeper into the woods. The paths split further, some leading to little pavilions. Stone tables and stools were available, be in under the shelters of the Pavillions for times when visitors had to take shelter from the rain, or slightly off the beaten path where people could enjoy the golden willow woods in all its glory. A few stalls were set up at different parts of the forest, selling light refreshments. Among the earthy scent of the soil and the woody aroma of the trees, those with a more sensitive sense of smell would be able to pick up the light scent of fresh tea, which harmoniously fused with the smells of the woods.

As they made their way through, the Golden Willows stood proud and tall. Above them, the gold canopy of leaves spread wide over their heads. The tree canopy of the woods was not too thick, allowing light to filter through and be coloured a rich golden yellow. The branches of the willow were slender, with its golden leaves and how its branches drooped with the pull of gravity, it almost looked like chains of gold were being hung from a ceiling. Occasionally, a pleasant breeze of wind would blow through the woods, and as the leaves and branches danced along with the breeze, leaves that had become loose dislodged themselves, and the small leaves falling from the trees would look like a rain of gold to welcome visitors.

Sushang could not help but admire and smile at the scenery before her. It was perhaps more beautiful than she made it out to be. She now knew when friends and relatives described the forest as 'beautiful beyond words', they were not lying. Walking together, they spotted a few small herds of Downy Antlers, with flowers of the Golden Willows decorating their antlers which were a bright red, contrasting with the golden yellow colours of the woods. The Downy Antlers seemed to be used to visitors entering their homes and did not shy away as long as one did not try to startle them, and even approached those who were more experienced at handling animals, allowing these people to sink into their soft, fluffy coats.

Buying two bottles of warm steamed puffergoat milk from one of the stalls within the woods, the two sat down at a stone table in a quiet part of the woods as they admired the scenery before them. The sweetness of the milk, the gentle breeze, the magnificent sight of the golden willows and the fragrances of the nature surrounding them were a treat for all of Sushang's senses. From the corner of her eye, she noticed her partner sitting on the opposite side of the table was too experiencing bliss. He was enjoying the sights and the taste of his drink, almost zoning out to the peace of the woods. Under the golden light that shone down, she noticed his peaceful expression that she had not seen for a while, and she felt as if something tugging her chest.

Perhaps carried away by the atmosphere, she reached out and gently placed a hand on his. She could feel her partner's hand twitch, but he did not pull away his hand. Realizing what she had done, she removed her hand, but as she withdrew she felt her partner gently catch her fingers. The two continued to spend their time in peaceful silence with hands held, the only sounds between them the rustling of leaves and the footsteps of Downy Antlers in the distance, the golden light from the canopy hiding what would've otherwise been the colour of their blushing faces.

The two of them finally returned to Cloudfair at night, with her partner insisting that he walked her to her room. Arriving at her doorstep, the two stopped and turned to face one another.

"Well... thanks for today." She said, still slightly bashful from being carried away earlier in the day.

"It was my pleasure." Her partner smiled gently. The two stood there with a moment of silence between them and as she made eye contact with him and the two stared at each other as if entranced by the other's eyes.

Sushang found herself leaning in when a hoot from an owl in the distance snapped her back to her senses where Sushang became aware of what she had tried to do.

"Well, you better be headed back to your dorms before you get caught outside after lights out again." She laughed shyly, with one hand fiddling with the end of a ponytail. Her partner's words seemed to have been caught in his throat, as he simply nodded and made his way back to the male bunks.

Sushang entered her room, closed the door and rushed to the bed, jumping onto it. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she grabbed a plushie in the shape of a chicken and squealed into it with the excitement of a child who visited Central Starskiff Haven for the first time.